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The Newbie Guide to safeguarding your home while you are on vacation
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The Newbie’s Guide to safeguarding your home while you’re on
vacation
Renee King
Congrats! Af ter making the decision to take your dream vacation, you’ve scrimped and saved and put of f short
term gratif ication in order to make that dream come true. But bef ore you step outside that door, have you
thought about saf e proof ing your home while you’re gone?
T here are certain steps you should take to make sure that your home is saf e and sound when you return
home. In no particular order:
Be sure that you lock all doors and windows. Yes, it seems obvious, but many people f ail to do just
that. Bef ore you leave, go around the house and make sure that all doors are locked; that means any
entry way that can give someone a way to enter your home. You should actually turn the knob to conf irm
that it’s locked. Lock all of the windows too, including the ones on upper f loors. You will be surprised at
how thieves have been able to enter homes through windows on the upper level. How? Of tentimes,
people leave their ladders outside their home and the criminals will use it while thanking you f or making
their job easier. So, be sure to take your ladders or anything else the crook can get his/her hands on to
gain entry to your home.
Do make sure that someone retrieves your mail while you are gone. If you recruit a trusted neighbor or
trusted f amily member to gather your parcels and mail while you’re on vacation, ask them to do it under
cover of night. While they are at it, have them remove anything that may have been delivered to your
f ront porch as well as newspapers. If possible have the newspaper service interrupted until you get
back. If someone is watching your home, it won’t be dif f icult to surmise that you’re not there when
someone walks up to your mailbox, removes the mail and drives of f . Personally, I go online and arrange
f or my local post of f ice to stop delivery the day that I leave and to restart delivery the day I return:
https://holdmail.usps.com/holdmail/landingView.do
Buy a programmable light timer which will switch
2. Buy a programmable light timer which will switch
your overhead lights and lamps of f and on
periodically throughout the day. T hey are pretty
easy to use and can be timed to correspond with
your usual schedule. T here is a version that you
can use with appliances like televisions that will f ool
the budding criminal into thinking you are sitting
right in f ront of your set.
If you are pretty diligent about lawncare, be sure
to hire someone to cut your grass, etc. Neglect
screams that no one is home, so be sure to keep
everything maintained as if you were at home. I like Pho to Cre d it: ne ws .c ne t.c o m
to garden, so I make sure that I water all of my
plants (indoor ones too) bef ore I leave. T here’s
nothing sadder than coming home to a yard f ull of dead f lowers.
One thing that baf f les me is when people
announce on their answering machine that they are
on vacation or their email response announces that
they are away on vacation. You may as well wear a
sign that says ROB ME! T here is no good reason
to inf orm anyone regarding your plans unless it’s
your security company (assuming that you have a
monitoring service). With f ew exceptions, keep
that inf ormation under wraps and give only to
those on a need to know basis.
As a precaution, pull out that video camera that
you have packed in your luggage and walk through
every room indicating any valuable items and be
sure to get a great close up of said items. Take
your sd card or tape and store it in a saf e place like
a metal f ireproof box where you keep your
important papers. Pho to Cre d it: alo hap ro p e rtys e rvic e s .c o m
Reduce your electric bill by unplugging items that
will not be in use while you are gone. Of course,
keep those lamps/lights and your tv and radio on
standby f or the timer, but unplug that computer or
anything else that’s unnecessary. For anything that
does make the cut, be sure to protect them by
plugging them into surge protectors in the event a
nasty thunderstorm tries to claim them.
T his has less to do with security than just peace
of mind. I try to clean the house thoroughly bef ore
I leave. Why? Because af ter a long trip away, I hate
coming back to a f ilthy house. It’s a psychological
thing. Pho to Cre d it: g e o ffre yls mith.c o m
Be sure to make sure that your pets are taken
3. Be sure to make sure that your pets are taken
care of . Arrange f or boarding or you can kill two
birds with one stone (in a manner of speaking) by
having someone to housesit and take care of your
pets. T his addresses the security issue and pet
care. A def inite win-win providing that you really
trust this person. Otherwise, it could be your
worse nightmare if you come home to a wrecked
semblance of your f ormer home and all of your
neighbors now hate you.
Stop buying groceries up to a week bef ore you
leave, especially perishables. It would be a shame
to come back to a f ridge f ull of spoiled f ood.
Remember to take any lef tover trash outside at the
very least so that your nose won’t be greeted by Pho to Cre d it: c le aning s e rvic e s o rland o .b iz
decayed f ood remnants when you get home.
Reduce your heating bill by adjusting your
thermostat to lower temps or conversely, your
cooling bill by raising the thermostat depending on
what time of the year it is when you take your trip.
I like to pack the car with our luggage the night
bef ore when it’s nice and dark. When we get in the
car to leave the next day, no one is the wiser about
what our plans are.
Invest in motion controlled outdoor lighting. It’s
been my experience that thieves scatter like
roaches when the spotlight is on them. Make it Pho to Cre d it: s aving c he ap .c o m
dif f icult f or them to violate your property by
installing motion detectors. It will be a sure tip-of f
f or any trusted neighbor who is aware of your
absence.
If you are inclined to keep a spare set of keys
hidden on your property, try to f ind the most
inconspicuous place to do so. It’s surprising how
many people still put them underneath a welcome
mat or some out of place rock close by the steps.
At least make the thief break a sweat bef ore the
cops come to take them away.
What things do you typically do bef ore setting sail on
your vacation?
Renee King is an At lant a, GA based Pho to Cre d it: vid hinid hi.wo rd p re s s .c o m
administ rat ive assist ant by day who spends
most of her waking hours plot t ing t he next excursion t o anyplace out side of her zip code.
She want s t o t each t hose who t hink t hat t raveling is some unobt ainable dalliance f or t he rich
and f amous or t he well connect ed, t hat it is not t rue.
4. If you have never t raveled bef ore or want t o learn t ips on how t o see t he world f or as lit t le as
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t o sample t he world by t raveling at a f ract ion of t he price!